Yoga for better sex

Jennifer Newton Reents is a Registered Nurse and has a bachelor's degree in journalism. She is the former associate editor various print magazines, including Pregnancy Magazine, and continues to contribute to various national magazines t...

Downward doggie-style

Is yoga good for your libido? It's believed that yoga calms the mind, exercises the body and rejuvenates energy all at the same time, and it just might also put some zoom back into your sex life, experts say.

Improve your sex live with yoga

The Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2008 reported that women who practiced yoga had more desire to have sex and experienced better orgasms.

Sadie Nardini, a yoga instructor in New York City and founder of Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga, says the first step in improving one's libido begins with taking care of ourselves. "Sometimes people say they want better sex, but they're neglecting the one person that can make that a reality: themselves. When you like yourself more, you're more likely to want to connect with your partner. But often, people go about the quest to have a sizzling bedroom life all backwards," Nardini says. "Yoga helps us re-connect, re-fill and re-balance from the inside, and then once worry and resentment and fatigue are lessened, then better sex is more likely to happen naturally."

Nardini says many studies show the negative effects of stress and poor body image can really damage your libido. "Yoga boosts body-confidence, improves blood flow and calms anxiety -- all things that have been shown to be prerequisites for having great sex," she says.

Nykki Hardin, a yoga instructor in Los Angeles, says when we tap into this self love and acceptance, our inhibitions seem to melt away.

"There is an overriding feeling of safety that shuts out all the voices that in the past have held you back or kept you in a state of worry," she says. "There is no longer the mental mind chatter about what your partner may be thinking, how you are performing, what your body looks like, etc. because you are connected to spirit and present in your body rather than in your head."

Yoga poses to boost your libido

(Editor's Note: These poses are aimed at helping those who are already performing yoga. Yoga should be performed under the guidance of a trained instructor.) Nardini recommends the following poses for increasing blood flow to the genitals:

1. Seated Cat/Cow or Kneeling Cat/Cow

(Sitting or kneeling, arch the back on an inhale, round it on an exhale). "They bring increased blood flow and oxygen to the reproductive organs, and when coupled with the intention to have better sex through yoga, these poses can be libido-improving powerhouses," Nardini says.

2. Butterfly

Dr. Nilfar Karimova, MD, and Dr. Daniel Silverstein, MD, of Patients Medical, a holistic wellness center in New York City, recommends the following poses. The butterfly is achieved by sitting with the soles of the feet pressed together, with knees open, then leaning forward while holding on to the feet. One would aim at bringing their face in contact with their toes. This pose is held for 10 to 20 breaths.

3. Camel

This pose is achieved by first kneeling with the torso remaining upright. Then one must lean back and touch one's heels while looking straight up. Hips are stretched forward, and the position is held while engaging in deep breaths for one to two minutes.